Compare the way Shakespeare presents Hamlets Essay Example for Free

equivalence the way Shakespeare presents hamlets EssayIn this play, hamlet, Shakespeare shows us the different ways that imbecility can be visualized and the various ways that others surrounding the central spirits can perceive it. From the rise it is explained that small town would put an capriole disposition on and this signifies that Hamlets madness would just be an act, non something that is actually true. Hamlet confides in Horatio and asks him not to look knowingly if he sees Hamlet behaving oddly by saying some doubtful vocalize that might be ambiguous in its meaning. This immediately reinforces the notion that Hamlet is only play playacting his apparent madness and in actual fact, is sane.Shakespeare presents Hamlets humbug disposition as a means for Hamlet to bide his time and figure discover how to avenge his fathers murder by a brothers hand. Hamlets madness is not meant to be seen as madness by us, but as something that has a purpose i. e. it could ena ble Hamlet to kill Claudius and it could be perceived by others that the killing was unintentional and was because of Hamlets madness. However, in the case of Ophelia, Shakespeare presents her form of madness as something that is real and tangible. She has a reason to be mad her father is dead and gone. Shakespeare enforces the idea that Ophelia genuinely is mad by having her enter in Act 4 Scene 5 distracted and recounting a song about the death of her father. Ophelias madness is supported by what the gentleman says to Gertrude at the beginning of Act 4 Scene 5 about Ophelias body politic of mind that she winks and nods and gestures and that her speech is nothing, yet the unformed use of it doth move the hearers to collection. Even Laertes is appalled by Ophelias madness and wonders ist possible a young maids marbles should be as mortal as an experient mans life? Ophelias actions and what she says causes those around her to doubt her sanity and moot that she really is mad. T here are many words that are used by the main characters to outline Hamlets madness. He describes it as his antic disposition whereas Polonius calls it lunacy and Claudius calls it distemper and a transformation. Although everyone perceives Hamlet as mad, Polonius and Claudius at one point doubted that Hamlet in actual fact was indeed mad. Claudius had Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spy on Hamlet, whilst when Polonius talk to Hamlet he thought that though this be madness, yet there is method int.This shows that madness at bottom Hamlet is not really madness at all, but is just an act a movement on Hamlets part. Shakespeare adds this doubt to Hamlets madness whereas in Ophelias case there is no doubt about her tell apart of mind to those around her. It is believed that mad people have a tendency to have suicidal feelings. In Hamlets first soliloquy, he desires that his flesh would melt and would have killed himself had not his canon gainst self-slaughter. In his first soliloquy, h e says to be or not to be, that is the inquire-in this line, Hamlet wonders whether or not to commit suicide.These suicidal feelings beg the question had Hamlet actually gone mad? I, like many others believe that Hamlet was not mad, as even though he displayed suicidal thoughts, he did not carry those thoughts out, signifying a sane bring up of mind. Ophelia however ended up committing suicide by drowning herself in a lake while she chanted snatches of old lauds as one incapable of her own distress. This seems to indicate how fragile her state of mind actually was and how she was determined to madness by her fathers death and Hamlets actions.The gravediggers in Act 5 Scene 1 thought that Ophelia committed suicide and if she had not been a gentlewoman, she should have been buried out o Christian burial as suicide is considered as an unholy crime. Shakespeare seems to want to show us that Ophelia really was mad by having her act, discourse and behave in a way that was not seen a s normal to Elizabethan society as considerably as society today. It also seems that Shakespeare, maybe unwittingly, shows us that women were weak-minded individuals whereas men were the stronger sex, mentally as well as physically.Even though Hamlet is knocked with strong emotional surprises, such as finding out that his stepfather killed his father, Claudius, Hamlet still remains strong in public. This is a very sharp contrast to how Ophelia behaved when she suffered keen trauma due to the sudden death of her father. Whilst Hamlet remains strong, Ophelia transcends towards madness as her fragile state of mind had shattered. Maybe, this was the way Shakespeare viewed both sexes or maybe those were the views of Elizabethan society as a whole.Shakespeare presents Hamlets antic disposition as something very different to how Ophelias madness is presented to us. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a strong character who has the ability to deal with emotional trauma, whereas Ophelia was por trayed as weak and symbolised what Hamlet once remarked Frailty, thy name is woman. Shakespeare presents Hamlet and Ophelia in contrasting ways to show us the differences between an antic disposition and actual madness. By using these contrasts, Shakespeare seems to be reflecting on the attitudes and views of Elizabethan society and also seems to be offering us his translation of madness.